


you've got those tired eyes

by greektragedy



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Mutual Pining, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 13:32:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greektragedy/pseuds/greektragedy
Summary: Laura keeps calling Carmilla to get rid of spiders she claims to be afraid of. Carmilla sees right through her but plays along anyways because she misses Laura too.





	you've got those tired eyes

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this](http://nadiahilker.tumblr.com/post/146473062490/post-break-up-au) post of post-break up au prompts

The sound of the phone ringing pulled Carmilla out of her sleep. She glanced over to the window and saw that it was still pitch black outside. She couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few hours. Groaning she reached to the bedside table and answered the phone.

“Somebody better be dead,” she mumbled while pressing her eyes firmly shut.

“I’m sorry I’m calling this late but there’s an emergency. Sort of.”

It was Laura’s voice coming through the speaker.

“What kind of an emergency?” Carmilla knew how Laura sounded when she was seriously in distress and this wasn’t it. “Did you run out of cookies or something?”

After reluctantly opening her eyes again she checked the time on her alarm clock.

She groaned.

“You do know it’s 3am, right?!” If Carmilla wasn’t annoyed before, she definitely was now. She’d only gotten back from a late shift at work a bit over an hour ago which would explain why she felt like someone had run her over with a semi.

“I know but I lost a spider in my room and I’m kinda freaking out right now. I need to get up early tomorrow but I can’t go to sleep because this thing’s just waiting for an unconscious victim. Can you maybe come over and help me find it?”

Carmilla sighed.

“What do you mean you lost a spider?” How does someone lose a spider?

“It was in my bed and I jumped up and, I don’t know, it just disappeared. I lost it. And it’s waiting to kill me in my sleep.” She was rambling now.

“Ugh, just sleep on the couch. I’m going back to sleep. Goodbye” Carmilla had been ready to end this non-conversation three minutes ago.

“You took the couch with you when you left.” The other girl’s voice sounded small now and Carmilla could picture the expression on her face all too vividly.

“Right.”

She did. It was her couch to begin with. It screamed Carmilla. Black leather that Laura always complained would stick to the backside of her thighs when it was warm outside. They had more than one discussion about whether or not they should buy a new one that was more “them”. So when they eventually divided their belongings it was obvious who would gain custody of it.

“I know you had a late shift but I also know you have tomorrow-slash-today off. I wouldn’t have called if it weren’t important but I have to be at work at 7 and I really need to sleep.”

If Carmilla hadn’t been overworked she’d probably have noticed that even after weeks without any contact Laura still knew her work schedule by heart. As it was she was trying to decide what to do about this situation. She was staying at Mattie’s place while her sister was away on a business trip and she really didn’t want to haul her tired ass across town at 3 in the morning. But Laura had called her. Something she hadn’t done in nearly two months.

The rational part of her brain was trying to convince her that this was ridiculous. Was Laura even afraid of spiders? She didn’t think so. In fact, if Carmilla remembered correctly, there were multiple instances where her then-girlfriend, instead of simply using the extension of their vacuum cleaner, had hauled an enormous ladder out of the broom closet to get a spider down from the ceiling.

Another part really wanted to see her and talk to her in person again. Even if just for 5 minutes. How could this girl still have such a hold on her after breaking her heart? Carmilla didn’t know and if she was being honest, she was too big of a coward to seriously contemplate the reason. It would make everything that had happened real. Even more so than driving to her ex-girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night to look for a spider. Seriously, what had her life come to?

“I mean, you don’t have to come over if you don’t want to. It was stupid to ask you. Maybe I could call Danny and – “

Just like that Carmilla’s decision was made.

“Don’t. I’ll be there in 15.”

Before Laura could say anything else she had hung up.

 

* * *

 

Exactly 14 minutes (she’d been checking the time obsessively) after they had talked on the phone Laura got a text message from Carmilla saying she was downstairs. Okay, she definitely wasn’t freaking out or anything. She pressed the buzzer next to her door and waited for the sound of Carmilla’s clunky boots in the hallway until she opened the apartment door for her.

“Hey,” she said nervously.

“Hey,” Carmilla answered while shifting from one foot to the other.

She looked extremely uncomfortable standing there wearing her favorite leather jacket combined with a pair of flannel pajama pants. If the situation hadn’t been so awkward Laura would have laughed. Somehow she was making the look work which was just unfair on so many levels.

Her increasingly hormonal thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Carmilla clearing her throat.

Laura blushed and moved out of the doorway to let her in.

“You could’ve just used the doorbell you know?” she said to break the silence.

Carmilla was looking at her feet.

“I know. It just felt kinda weird,” she mumbled and shrugged.

This was a mistake. Laura shouldn’t have called her. She mostly blamed watching a sappy rom-com and drinking the better part of a bottle of wine for her current predicament.

“Um, should we go look for the spider?”

The longer they were standing in the hallway the more embarrassed she became. What was she thinking? She knows what she was thinking. She missed Carmilla and wanted to see her. But calling her at 3am because of a spider that she wasn’t even afraid of was a new kind of pathetic. Even for her.

“That’s what I’m here for, right?” Carmilla said.

“Yup.” Totally. The only reason.

Laura headed towards the bedroom. Carmilla followed right behind her.

“So, I thought we could pull the bed away from the wall to see if it’s there. I’ve pretty much looked everywhere else already.” Laura looked over at Carmilla with a questioning look. The other woman was already watching her but she couldn’t read the expression on her face.

“Sounds like a plan, cutie.” Carmilla’s body stiffened. “Sorry. It slipped out.”

“Carm, it’s fine. Really.”

Laura waited until she met her eyes again and smiled shyly. Carmilla cleared her throat and made her way over to the bed. She took hold of the frame on one side and looked at Laura expectantly.

“Are we doing this or what?”

Great, now she’s acting all disaffected. This was stupid. She clearly didn’t want to be here. She probably couldn’t wait to get out of here.

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” She rushed to grab the other side of the bed.

They pulled the bed a few meters into the room. The spider wasn’t too big but on the bare wall it was hard to miss. Luckily it didn’t try to scatter away.

“This little bug scared you?” Carmilla’s tone was doubtful.

Oh, right. She needed to act afraid of it.

“Yes, it’s disgusting! Look at it. Blegh!” She shuddered dramatically. There that should do it.

“Right,” Carmilla unnecessarily stretched the word, “So, I’m pretty sure you don’t want a huge stain on the wall, so I’m gonna get a glass or something to take it outside with.”

“Sounds good. You know where they are.” As soon as Laura had said it she regretted it. You know where they are. Stupid. Of course she knew. This was her apartment too. Emphasis on “was”.

Without saying anything else Carmilla left the room. Laura kept an eye on the spider to distract herself from her own lack of tact. It was actually kind of cute in a spidery way. When Carm got back she trapped the spider with the glass and slid a piece of paper between it and the wall.

“Gotcha.”

She held the glass up triumphantly for Laura to see. Seeing her standing there, holding a spider captive and looking like a complete dork Laura couldn’t deny that she missed her a lot more than she would have thought was possible. Especially given the fact that she was standing right in front of her.

“I’ll take it outside. Do you need help pushing the bed back against the wall?” Carmilla asked.

She wanted to say she didn’t, but out of her mouth came something entirely different.

“If you don’t mind?”

Laura felt guilty. She really did. She wasn’t scared of spiders. She didn’t need help pushing the bed back into place and she could’ve pulled it away from the wall by herself if she had tried. She had a ton of upper body strength because of all the Krav Maga and yoga she did and the bed wasn't that heavy anyways.

Carmilla looked at her for a couple of moments and then said, “Sure, I’ll be back.”

She left and Laura was alone with her thoughts again. How did she always get into situations like this? She really needed to start to think before she acted. Things between them hadn’t ended well at all and while they needed to talk it out at some point this was not the right time. It was 3am on a weeknight. They were both overworked and dead tired. And if Laura claimed to be entirely sober she would be lying.

She sighed. This was a mess and it was her fault.

A few moments before she could reach total meltdown mode Carmilla returned.

“Where did you let Alice go?” Laura asked her.

“Who the hell is Alice?” Carmilla frowned confused.

“I may have named the spider,” she admitted.

“You named the spider you were afraid of?”

“Yes?”

Carmilla burst out laughing. “You’re really something else.”

“So I’ve heard.” Laura couldn’t help but giggle at her own absurdity.

Still amused, they pushed the bed against the wall. When that was done they walked towards the front door together. Laura opened it but before Carmilla could leave she apologized again for calling so late.

“Would you quit apologizing already? It’s getting annoying. When I said ‘always’ I meant it. Now go get some sleep. You look like crap and have to get up in a few hours. I’ll see you around, okay?”

Before Laura could find a suitable response Carmilla was already out of the apartment and halfway towards the staircase. She waited until she disappeared around the corner before closing her front door.

 _When I said ‘always’ I meant it._ Those words kept replaying in her mind.

Laura’s alarm went off 3 hours later. She hadn’t slept a single second.


End file.
